Luminous Concrete
Hisham Al-Qasim
It is predicted that by 2050, rapid consumption of raw materials will leave the world without enough sand, iron and cement to build concrete, resulting in rising construction costs, up between 5% and 11% from last year.
The construction industry is responsible for 23% of air pollution, 50% of climate change, 40% of drinking water pollution, and 50% of landfill waste. <As a response to global challenges such as climate change, discrimination and physical vulnerability, designers from around the world have developed innovative building materials that put human well-being first in urban, architectural and interior projects. <Unsurprisingly, design has become a key contributor to material development processes. <However, the past decade has seen an unprecedented focus on human well-being, be it physical, emotional or mental, which has become a starting point for the development of building materials. <Light-emitting cement/concrete is one of the most inclusive building materials of the past decade. Besides being able to illuminate highways, roads and bicycle lanes at night without using electricity, ensuring pedestrian safety, innovative materials can also compensate for the poor environmental performance of the material.
Recently, students have developed light-emitting cement/concrete. Recently, undergraduate engineering students at the American University in Cairo developed a bioluminescent-like concrete by modifying the microstructure of cement to remove crystals by combining it with water, turning it into a gel, absorbing sunlight, and emitting its energy at night as light beams “to reduce the huge amount of energy used in highway lighting and street signage needed for safe riding.”
Recently, undergraduate engineering students at AUC developed a bioluminescent-like concrete by modifying the microstructure of cement to remove crystals by combining it with water, turning it into a gel-like form, absorbing sunlight, emitting its energy at night as light beams. Glow-in-the-dark concrete has long been seen as an important solution to the construction industry's impact on the climate crisis.
*Architect and faculty member at King Saud University
@ArchHesham
